The Community Consolidated School District 89 Board of Education agreed to extend the district’s adaptive pause through winter break. All students will continue learning remotely until at least January 5. Board members agreed to extend remote learning during a regular meeting held Monday, November 16.
The Board of Education is scheduled to meet again on Monday, December 14. At that meeting, the Board is expected to review the latest health data and determine whether students can return on Tuesday, January 5, or whether the adaptive pause should be extended.
At Monday’s meeting, the Board also approved January 4 as one of the five remote planning days issued by the State of Illinois. There will no remote learning that day. Students will still have the scheduled breaks for Thanksgiving (November 25-27) and winter break (December 21-January 1).
CCSD 89 began an ‘adaptive pause’ on Monday, November 16, at all grade levels due to high absence rates, increasing cases in the local zip codes, and countywide spread.
At this time, students will continue to learn remotely on the same class schedule they are currently using. CCSD 89 created schedules and implemented learning systems that will allow learning to move between remote and in-person, so the district can respond to changing community circumstances.
The decision to move to entirely remote learning comes after continuous, significant increases in youth cases, positivity rates, and new cases per 100,000 in both DuPage County and the CCSD 89 community.
On October 1, the positivity rate in the CCSD 89 zip codes was 2.9 percent. As of Sunday, it was 12.63 percent. On October 1, the seven-day average for the number of new cases in the CCSD 89 zip codes was 68 per 100,000. As of Sunday, the seven-day average for the number of new cases was 465 per 100,000.
On October 2, there were two CCSD 89 staff members who were COVID-19 positive, had COVID-19 symptoms, or were in quarantine because they were a close contact. By November 9, that number had risen to 26 staff members. This creates potential health issues within the community and impacts the schools’ ability to deliver a consistent learning environment for both in-person and remote learners.
The number of new DuPage County cases per 100,000 is four times as high as early September; the positivity rates are more than twice as high. The youth cases, which initially fluctuated during September, have increased significantly for four consecutive weeks. The numbers are well above the levels that indicate ‘substantial’ community spread, according to the DuPage County Health Department.
At this time, the most important things you can do are:
- Continue to contact the district when your student has symptoms or is COVID-19 positive. This data will help monitor local conditions.
- Help your child prepare for transitions in learning modes. Monitor for any concerns that a staff member should know about.
- Reduce your exposure and risk outside of school by wearing a mask, washing hands regularly, and maintaining social distance.
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Please continue to report COVID-19 illnesses to schools |
CCSD 89 is asking families to continue to contact the school when students are COVID-19 positive, have COVID-19 symptoms, or are in quarantine because they were a close contact. The ability to understand transmission levels and potential absences in schools (for both students and staff) will be a part of the data that is considered when determining when to re-open buildings for in-person learning.
If your student is COVID-19 positive, has COVID-19 symptoms, or is in quarantine because they were a close contact, please email or call the nurse at your student’s school. (Nursing contact information is available at www.ccsd89.org/health) The nursing staff can also answer questions about next steps or contact tracing.
If your student has COVID-19 symptoms or is COVID-19 positive but they are healthy enough to participate in remote learning, they will not be marked absent. If your student is not able to participate in remote learning, families should continue to report absences in the traditional manner.
While the students are in full remote learning, the schools will not be sending notifications of COVID-19-positive cases. The district will continue to update historical data on student/staff positive cases, exclusions, and quarantine.
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Donate a gift card to help a family in need |
The families of more than 400 students in CCSD 89 are getting by with very limited resources. At times, their budget can make it challenging to have enough food in the house or afford rent. Winter and holidays can be particularly difficult for these children and, of course, the pandemic has made the situation even more stressful.
Social workers at all five CCSD 89 schools will once again be collecting gift cards from Walmart, Target, Jewel, and Aldi. You can donate as many cards as you'd like, but we request that the increment for each card be between $10 and $25. Whether it's a holiday meal, a special gift, or just a little extra to help make it through the month, we can all work together to bring joy to our neighbors.
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Meals available 3:30-5:30 p.m. Monday, 8:30-11:30 a.m. Wednesday |
All CCSD 89 families can pick up free breakfasts and lunches at all five schools. Meals are available from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Mondays, or 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesdays at all schools. During the week of Thanksgiving, meals will only be available on Monday, November 23. Info: https://bit.ly/30JeH0s
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2020-21 calendar changes approved |
At a meeting held Monday, the Community Consolidated School District 89 Board of Education approved some slight changes to the 2020-21 school year calendar. The revised calendar can be viewed here: www.ccsd89.org/calendarPDF
Four days (January 4, February 5, March 26, and April 30) will now be no student attendance at all grades. January 15 had been a half day but it will now be a full day of student attendance.
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Twelve Glen Crest students selected for prestigious music fest |
Twelve Glen Crest Middle School students participated in an online music festival after they were chosen from hundreds of local students who auditioned. The Glen Crest students were selected to play in the Illinois Music Education Association District IX Junior Division Festival, which was held online this year.
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Other CCSD 89 online resources
If you have further questions or need support, please reach out to our staff. We are available to help you and your students.
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CCSD 89 | (630) 469-8900 | www.ccsd89.org |
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